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Aid, poverty & equality · East Asia & Pacific · High income
South Korea: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 0.1% (2021), 136th of 151 in the world and 14th of 17 in East Asia & Pacific. Poverty, $4.20/day is 0.2% (2021), 134th of 151 in the world and 15th of 17 in East Asia & Pacific. Poverty, $8.30/day is 0.5% (2021), 139th of 151 in the world and 17th of 17 in East Asia & Pacific.
Extreme poverty
South KoreaEast Asia & PacificHigh incomeWorld
Poverty, $4.20/day
South KoreaEast Asia & PacificHigh incomeWorld
10 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: South Korea in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within East Asia & Pacific; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.1%2021 | 136/151 | 14/17 | · | 0.5% | 0.1% | −0.4 ppsince 2010 | 2.0% | 0.6% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.2%2021 | 134/151 | 15/17 | · | 0.9% | 0.2% | −0.7 ppsince 2010 | 5.5% | 0.7% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.5%2021 | 139/151 | 17/17 | · | 2.8% | 0.5% | −2.3 ppsince 2010 | 26.4% | 1.7% | 46.2% | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 32.92021 | 98/151 | 10/17 | · | 32.0 | 32.7 | +2.8%since 2010 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 25.0%2021 | 100/151 | 11/17 | · | 24.2% | 25.2% | +0.8 ppsince 2010 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 7.4%2021 | 65/151 | 10/17 | · | 7.3% | 7.5% | +0.1 ppsince 2010 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 2.5%2024 | 158/167 | 23/23 | 2.5%2001 | 2.5% | 2.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2014 | 3.5% | 2.6% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 5.8%2024 | 140/155 | 20/23 | · | · | 5.3% | — | 8.8% | 7.9% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 96.9%2024 | 26/145 | 7/16 | · | 93.0%2011 | 98.7%2021 | +2.5 ppsince 2014 | 82.8% | 94.9% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 20.3%2025 | 122/190 | 13/30 | 5.9% | 14.7% | 19.0% | +4.0 ppsince 2015 | 23.3% | 31.2% | 27.2% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Extreme poverty−0.4 pp0.1% in 2021
- Poverty, $4.20/day−0.7 pp0.2% in 2021
- Poverty, $8.30/day−2.3 pp0.5% in 2021
- Bottom 20% income share+0.1 pp7.4% in 2021
Worse than ten years ago
- Gini index+2.8%32.9 in 2021
- Top 10% income share+0.8 pp25.0% in 2021
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
South Korea and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with South Korea. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | South Korea | China | Japan | North Korea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 0.1%2021 | 0.0%2022 | 1.2%2020 | — |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 0.2%2021 | 0.5%2022 | 1.6%2020 | — |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 0.5%2021 | 21.3%2022 | 3.3%2020 | — |
| Gini index | 32.92021 | 36.02022 | 32.32020 | — |
| Top 10% income share | 25.0%2021 | 28.4%2022 | 24.3%2020 | — |
| Bottom 20% income share | 7.4%2021 | 7.3%2022 | 6.8%2020 | — |
| Undernourishment | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 47.0%2018 |
| Food insecurity | 5.8%2024 | — | 6.1%2024 | — |
| Account ownership | 96.9%2024 | 89.4%2024 | 98.5%2024 | — |